Virtual Conference Format

The RUD Advisory Committee has decided on the following format for the RUD 2020 conference, to be hosted online by Queen Mary University of London on December 14, 15, 16. In deciding on the format, foremost in our minds was the need to facilitate audience engagement and participation. Given the online format and the time difference faced by participants, we thought three hours of actual presentation on each day was the most one could hope to engage the audience in.

• There will be twelve 15 minute slots for presentation and discussion of papers each day (using Zoom), delivered in four 45 minute sessions separated by breaks. The first session will commence at 3pm London time (same as GMT in December) and we aim to complete scheduled sessions for the day by 7pm.

• To facilitate discussion, presenting authors of papers accepted for presentation will be required to upload a 30 min video talk to the conference website a few days in advance, which the conference participants will be able to view (asynchronously) ahead of the actual presentation and discussion. In the synchronous presentation, the presenter will be expected to give a brief introduction of c.5 minutes. The remaining 10 minutes will be for Q&A (oral, not online chat). Each session will include papers on similar topics and the Q&A will be led and moderated by the Chair for the session.

• We know that networking sessions were an integral part of conferences in the past with coffee breaks, social events and receptions, especially in RUD. With virtual conferencing this year, most video conferencing solutions fall short when catering for networking as we know it. So, we decided to try out a virtual platform, HeyHubbub, that allows spontaneous interactions and networking between attendees. People can meet and chat naturally in an online space designed specifically for networking. We will provide the access link to the platform (along with the Zoom link for live sessions) upon registration.

RUD Advisory Committee

Eran Hanany, Peter Klibanoff, Massimo Marinacci, Sujoy Mukerji (Local Organizer), Jean Marc Tallon, Horst Zank